An appliqué is a decoration or ornament, such as needlework, involving a swath of material known as an appliqué, which is attached to the surface of another material. An appliqué is typically assembled by cutting a piece of a material and attaching it to the surface of another material. Appliqués are usually attached to the surface of a second material by sewing or by the application of pressure and heat through a heat press process. Appliqués may be assembled on most fabrics, and are largely associated with images and designs attached to garments and clothing.
There are other methods besides assembling of appliqués for providing clothing with graphics including, but not limited to, lettering, images, and designs. Sublimation, for example, is a method of applying an image to specially coated ceramics, metals, and polyester cloth. The sublimation process uses sublimation ink, heat, and pressure to bestow a substrate with an image. A heat-sensitive sublimation dye is dissolved in a liquid to print graphics and text and then transferred to special inkjet paper in a process called dye sub transfer. The dye sub transfer and an object with a sublimatable substrate are then placed into a heat press, where pressure and heat are applied to transfer the image to the substrate.
When the heating cycle is completed, the image on the paper has been transferred to the item and has actually become a part of the substrate or surface. Sublimation is typically performed on a polymer or polymer-coated item, such as polyester, as the pores of a polymer are more suitable for integrating the sublimation dye into its substrate. At high temperatures, the solid dyes in the print convert into a gas without ever becoming a liquid. The high temperature also opens the pores of the polymer and allows the gas to enter them. When the item is removed from the heat press, the temperature drops, the pores close, and the gas reverts to a solid state. The image has now become integral with the substrate of the polymer. If the process is performed correctly, the transferred image cannot be removed, unless the actual fibers or coating is damaged.
The sublimation process may be limited because sublimation is more effective on polymeric substrates than on natural materials, such as those made from 100% cotton. Natural fibers and non-coated materials are not as porous as polymer surfaces, so that the dye is disposed on the top of the fabric. Furthermore, the sublimation process has garnered limited results on non-white substrates. This is because the ink used in the sublimation process is actually transparent when sublimated and is more effectively highlighted by a white background.
Screen printing is another method used to provide a fabric or garment with a graphic, such as, but not limited to lettering, an image, or a design. Screen printing consists of three elements: a screen, which is the image carrier; a squeegee; and ink. The screen printing process uses a porous mesh stretched tightly over a frame made of wood or metal. Proper tension is essential in order to ensure accurate color registration on the porous mesh. The mesh is made of porous fabric or stainless steel mesh. A stencil is produced on the screen either manually or photochemically. The stencil defines the image to be printed, which in other printing technologies would be referred to as the image plate.
Screen printing ink is applied to the substrate by placing the screen over the material. Ink with a paint-like consistency is placed on the top of the screen. Ink is then forced through the fine mesh openings using a squeegee that is drawn across the screen, applying pressure and thereby forcing the ink through the open areas of the screen. Ink will pass through only in areas where no stencil is applied, thus forming an image on the printing substrate. The diameter of the threads and the thread count of the mesh will determine how much ink is deposited onto the substrates. Direct screen printing is also limited in that graphics produced by direct process do not transfer well to garments.
There is a need for an improved method of bestowing a sublimation or screen-printed image onto a substrate. There is also a need to develop a process for imparting graphics to a non-white fabric. There is a further need to develop a process for imparting graphics to a fabric where the graphics are high-quality, but are not permanently installed on the fabric.